Justification Series: Abraham and Justification

Abraham’s faith in the Lord as recorded in Genesis 15:6 and the Lord imputing His righteousness to Abraham as a result of his faith is employed by the New Testament writers as the pattern of a sinner’s justification (Rm. 4).

Genesis 15:1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (NIV84)

“Believed” is the verb `aman, which is in the “hiphil” (causative) stem meaning, “to cause to have confidence in, to trust.”

The object of Abram’s faith is the Lord Himself who alone can make this guarantee to Abram because He sovereign and omnipotent and omniscient.

Although, the New Testament writers employ Genesis 15:6 to teach that justification is through faith alone in Christ alone, it does “not” mean that Genesis 15:6 records the moment when Abram first got saved.

There at least three reasons for this.

First of all, Abram had already obeyed the Lord’s call to leave Ur and Haran (Acts 7:2-5; Gen. 12:1-5).

Secondly, the Lord had entered into a covenant agreement with him as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:4-5, which is something the Lord would never do with an unbeliever.

Thirdly, the perfect tense of the verb `aman, “believed” demonstrates that Abram’s faith did “not” begin after the events recorded in Genesis 15:1-5 since it represents the state of Abram trusting in the Lord, which flowed from his initial faith in the Lord the moment he got saved in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Bible Knowledge Commentary, The Old Testament, “Abram’s faith is recorded here because it is foundational for establishing the Abrahamic covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant did not give Abram redemption; it was a covenant made with Abram who had already believed and to whom righteousness had already been imputed.”[1]

“Credited” is the verb chashav, which refers to the Lord imputing His righteousness to Abram and as a result it refers to His “viewpoint” of Abram as a result of Abram’s faith in Him in delivering on His promise to give Abram a son.

Imputation is the function of the justice of God in crediting something to someone for cursing or for blessing.

At the moment of spiritual birth, God imputed His righteousness to the believer so that he is “positionally” the righteousness of God meaning God has given His righteousness as a gift to the believer and God views the believer as righteous as Himself.

This imputation results in God acknowledging His righteousness in the believer and declaring the believer to be a righteous as He is.

The righteousness of God is received through faith in the gospel concerning Jesus Christ since in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Rom. 1:16-17).

In Romans 4:1-5, the apostle Paul references Genesis 15:6 and teaches that Abraham’s faith was not only credited to him as righteousness but that he was also justified by his faith as well.

Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. (NIV84)

“Trusts” is the verb pisteuō (πιστεύω), which refers to making the non-meritorious decision “to trust” or “place one’s absolute confidence in” merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross in order to receive the gift of divine righteousness that results in God the Father declaring the sinner justified.

It is not enough to say that you believe in God since even the demons believe in the existence of God (Jam. 2:19).

God the Father has decreed that the object of faith for salvation and justification is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

“God who justifies” is composed of the preposition epi (ἐπί) and the articular accusative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb dikaioo (δικαιόω), “God who justifies.”

The verb dikaioo (δικαιόω), “God who justifies” refers to God declaring the sinner, whether Jew or Gentile, as righteous as He is as a result of God crediting to that person His Son’s righteousness, the moment they exercised faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

In Romans 4:5, the member of the Trinity that is doing the justifying is not the Father but rather the incarnate Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ since the presence of the preposition epi (ἐπί) and the verb pisteuō (πιστεύω) are emphasizing the object of faith for the sinner who seeks to be declared justified in the judgment of God.

Therefore, the verb dikaioo (δικαιόω), “God who justifies” and the prepositional phrase epi ton dikaiounta ton asebē (ἐπὶ τὸν δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἀσεβῆ), “who justifies the wicked” emphasize the object of the sinner’s faith, Jesus Christ, rather than the Father who renders the decision to justify the sinner.

The Lord Jesus Christ justifies the sinner in the sense that the sinner is declared justified by the Father based upon the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.

The Lord justifies the sinner who exercises faith in Him in the sense that it was His spiritual and physical death that purchased the entire human race out from the slave market of sin.

His spiritual and physical death on the cross were the payment for our personal sins and His physical death dealt with the source of personal sins, i.e. the sin nature (1 Tim. 2:6; Mark 10:45; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 5:9).

The Lord Jesus Christ justifies the sinner who exercises faith in Him since it was our Lord’s spiritual and physical death on the cross propitiated or satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God that are sins be judged (Rom. 3:22-26; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10).

The Lord Jesus Christ justifies the sinner who exercises faith in Him since it was His spiritual and physical deaths that reconciled the entire human race to God (2 Cor. 5:18-21; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:20-22; 1 Pet. 3:18).

The Lord Jesus Christ justifies the sinner who exercises faith in Him since it was our Lord’s spiritual and physical deaths that redeemed mankind from the curse of the Law.

The Lord Jesus Christ justifies the sinner who exercises faith in Him since He fulfilled perfectly the righteous requirements of the Law that demanded absolute perfect obedience (Rom. 10:1-4).

Therefore, in Romans 4:5, the verb dikaioo (δικαιόω), “God who justifies” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ justifying the sinner who exercises faith in Him by means of His impeccable life and substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross of Calvary.

“Is credited” is the verb logizomai(λογίζομαι), which is used with the prepositional phrase eis dikaiosynēn (εἰς δικαιοσύνην), “as righteousness.”

Together, these three words indicate that God the Father “credits and regards” the sinner’s faith in Jesus Christ “as righteousness.”

Therefore, the verb logizomai (λογίζομαι) not only denotes the doctrine of imputation but also justification since the latter means that God acknowledges His righteousness in the sinner as a result of imputing His righteousness to the sinner when the sinner exercised faith in Jesus Christ.

In Romans 4:5, the noun dikaiosynē (δικαιοσύνη) refers to the righteousness of God in the sense of His perfect “virtue” and “integrity,” which is imputed to the sinner the moment they exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The preposition epi (ἐπί) expresses “equivalence” meaning that the sinner’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior is credited and regarded “as tantamount to” or “the equivalent to” divine righteousness.

Paul is not saying that faith is equivalent to God’s righteousness but that it would “treated as such” or it would be “considered or regarded as such” since God the Father imputes His Son’s righteousness to the sinner the moment they exercise faith in His Son as their Savior.

In Galatians 3:6, Paul refers to Genesis 15:6 again and teaches that the Scriptures prophesied that the Gentiles would be justified by faith in the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ.

In Galatians 3:11-12, he teaches that no one would be justified by obeying the Law but rather by faith.

Then, in Galatians 3:24, Paul teaches that the Law was designed to show the sinner his need for a Savior and thus lead him to Christ so that they are justified by faith in Christ.

[1] page 55, Victor Books